Spooky Science Experiment

Celebrate Halloween by treating your child to a spooky science activity! Craft colorful concoctions, make great gooey potions, and explore how much fun science can be.

1. Plastic test tubes2. Child-friendly cups (try

clear plastic)3. Paint palette or washable

art tray4. Tempera paints

What You Need:

1. Paint brush2. Craft sticks3. Shaving cream4. Vinegar5. Baking soda6. Construction paper7. Vegetable oil

1. Pour a small amount of red, yellow, blue, and white onto a palette or washable art tray.

2. Fill three cups halfway with water.3. Have your child use the paint brush (or a craft stick) to scoop the

paint into the water, mixing two colors at a time. Ask him to stir gently, and watch the colors swirl and mix together.

4. If you have test tubes, fill one a quarter of the way full with water, one with vegetable oil, and leave one empty. If you don’t have test tubes, simply use small clear plastic cups.

5. Add one of the paint mixtures to each test tube. Cover and gently shake to see what happens. Ask your child how each one looks different in the test tubes. Then have him try to paint with each color concoction on the construction paper. Do the colors look different? Do they dry differently?

6. Repeat with different colors and different amounts of the added substances.

What You Do:Option 1: Water Color Mixing Potion Lab

1. Scoop a small amount of tempera paint into the shaving cream.

2. Ask your child to use her hands to make a gooey, colorful mixture.

3. Use the mixture to paint with, or simply allow her to explore. Add new colors and more shaving cream to see what happens.

Option 2: Shaving Cream Lab

1. Place a large cup onto a covered surface.2. Mix a very small amount of paint with approximately

two tablespoons of water.3. Mix in one tablespoon of baking soda.4. Add a tablespoon of vinegar, stand back, and watch it

explode!Choose one or more of these awesome options based on your young scientist’s age or use this as a Halloween party activity for some spooktacular fun!

Option 3: Exploding Color Lab